Local Jails Ban Books Because Of Content, Not Subject

The title suggested poems, but when deputies at the Hampton City Jail examined the book more closely this month, they found several marijuana cigarettes concealed in the binding.

Their discovery prompted a ban on bringing most books to inmates at the jail, making Hampton the second Peninsula lockup to take that step.

The Feb. 15 incident - the second such incident in the space of three days - should be the last, said Maj. C.E. Michael, the Hampton jail administrator. "Needless to say we no longer accept hardbound books," with the exception of legal and educational books, Michael said. Even those must be approved by the jail administrators. Since the policy went into effect Feb. 15, Michael said he's had no complaints.

Controlling the supply of drugs to prisoners is tough, especially when you consider the demand, said Michael. He estimated that about 75 percent of the jail population is comprised of people who are there on drug-related charges or charges related to drug use.

The York County Sheriff's Department stopped allowing visitors to bring books and magazines to its prisoners in 1985, said Lt. Sheryl Castellaw, jail administrator there.

"We've had attempts to smuggle weapons, drugs and just about anything you can imagine," Castellaw said.

After the book-ban, there were even attempts to smuggle in books and magazines, she said.

Capt. Charles E. Moore at the Newport News jail said he can't remember anyone trying to bring drugs to a prisoner in a book. But people have tried to use shower slippers, ballpoint pens and clothing.

"This is not that big a problem because we are pretty thorough," Moore said. "Everything that comes gets a thorough check by several people before it is turned over to a prisoner."

"I think the last one we arrested was a woman who put cocaine in the lining of a jacket destined for an inmate," he said. "It's not an everyday problem, but something the deputies have to always be alert to."

Michael said the Hampton deputies have intercepted deliveries of contraband drugs concealed in rubber flipflops and tennis shoes.

"They'll take the soles apart and glue it in the soles. We had one incident where we accepted a game of dominoes and found out later on they had marijuana concealed in them," he said.

So far, no cocaine has been found in items delivered to prisoners. But Michael said he recalled 12 to 14 years ago when "We caught a woman smuggling heroin in a pack of cigarettes."

As a result, visitors are not allowed to deliver cigarettes to jail inmates.

That doesn't mean inmates go without needed items, or even ones that are nice to have, deputies say.

"There is a library in the city jail and we make it possible for prisoners to buy shower slippers and tennis shoes through the canteen" in the jail, Michael said.

"We have our own library and magazines are sent to the jail through a grant with the York County Public Library," Castellaw said.

Though jail officials search each package and item thoroughly, "I'm sure if we caught some, then some must have gotten past us," Michael said.

Delivering a drug like marijuana, cocaine or heroin to a jail inmate is a felony and arrests are made and charges filed, Michael said.

On Feb. 13, Hampton deputies arrested Tammy White, 21, of the 100 block of East Kelly Avenue in Hampton. They charged her with concealing marijuana into the binding of a book she brought for a prisoner named Jerry Tibbitt, 21, who was serving six months for driving under the influence of alco hol.

Deputies were alerted to the possible contraband by another inmate, Michael said. After the drugs were found, he said, White was immediately arrested and will be tried March 23.

In a similar case two days later, an alert officer arrested Mary Carolina, 34, of the 900 block of North King Street in Hampton, Michael said. She allegedly slipped marijuana into the binding of the book of poems she had brought for inmate Juan Long, 25, Michael said.

This time there was no tip-off, but "when the lieutenant inspected the book, he noticed a slit in the binding," Micheal said.

Carolina was released on bond pending her trial on March 9. Long, a fugitive from New York, is still in jail, awaiting trial on a charge of failure to return rented property.